Private Equity
What is private equity?
Private equity is long-term ownership capital invested in privately held companies. Investors seek to create value over time through growth initiatives, operational improvements, strategic repositioning, and active governance.
Why private equity?
We believe private markets are no longer “alternative” – they are essential for a balanced, resilient portfolio. Private equity broadens investors’ opportunity set by allowing them to access companies and opportunities not available in public markets, providing the potential for diversification and long-term capital appreciation.
Investors in private equity may benefit from compelling exposure to entrepreneurial growth, operational transformation, and value creation driven by strategic decision-making.
Our approach to private equity
HarbourVest has built a powerful platform spanning primary fund commitments, secondary investments, and direct co‑investments, allowing us to access opportunities across the private equity lifecycle.
For more than four decades, we have invested across strategies, stages, and geographies — from venture and growth equity to mid‑ and large‑cap buyouts — building long‑standing relationships with GPs around the world. This breadth of exposure gives us insight into how managers, companies, and strategies perform across market cycles.
Supported by decades of proprietary investment data and analytics, we take a disciplined, data‑informed approach to underwriting and portfolio construction. We apply this perspective to help build durable private equity programs that align with investors’ objectives across market environments.
Why HarbourVest?
We believe we are well-positioned to help investors navigate private equity's complexity. As a long‑standing, multi‑manager investor across private equity strategies, we see how companies, funds, and portfolios evolve over time. Our ability to invest across managers, stages, and structures helps us build diversified and well-constructed portfolios that seek to stand the test of time and market cycles.
What differentiates HarbourVest is the combination of global relationships, an integrated private markets platform, and a deep commitment to data and insight. Those strengths help us navigate complexity and apply a disciplined approach to building portfolios over time.
